Project "Chihuahua" '65 Formula S Restoration "Estilo Mexicano"

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Not at all, after all this work this thing might end up to be my daily driver. I won't have any funds left to afford a new car.

 

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Update: Brake booster factory firewall rubber seal is not really serviceable and shipment cost from the USA makes it prohibitive to secure the factory correct replacement. I found a local hardware store had an everyday plumbing pipe seal that seems to fit except for the oval opening for the brake rod. I will try to expand the round opening to a more oval opening in the following weeks by way of inserting the handle of my gasket scraper in the opening. The factory rubber has a little slit designed into it that hugs the small metal frame it rides in to keep it from popping out. The generic replacement I found of course does not incorporate this provision. I could try to make a slit "ring" with a Dremel tool or razor blade, I could try some kind of rubber adhesive, or I could just hope it stays in its place on its own (I haven't decided on a course of action yet).

 

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Found another area to use the shrink wrap tubing, the passenger side valve cover wire clips.

 

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Shined up the chrome ornament for the fuel filler tube. Had to quit when I started to rub through the top layer of chrome.

 

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The ten-year-old TTI head pipes were beginning to deteriorate a bit. Out came the wax/grease remover, buffed off some rust, applied Ospho, clean with scratch pad, then a couple of coats of VHT high-temp. This pipes really look like overkill for a stock built 318 with the 273 four-barrel AFB.

 

[65 Dartman]

I will be doing the same thing to a set of headpipes that were on a 65 Barracuda I parted out

 

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Update: Retaining the driver's side hood hinge.

Next time I plan on drilling the hood hinge posts for pin/cotter pin. This time I purchased a small box of push nuts (1/2"). The passenger side still has the re-used factory push nut (photo #1). The driver's side had the re-used push nut fly off during hinge reassembly and now has the new push nut installed (photo #2).

How was the push nut installed with the fender in the way? I found a 3/8" drive 12 point 11/16" socket that fit around the perimeter of the new push nut. I got it started by hand pushing on the socket with my fingers and body in a very contorted position (Yoga anyone?). Then I placed the end of the handle of a ratchet (first used 3/8" drive, then graduated to 1/2" drive) between the socket and the upper stud/nut that retains the fender. By twisting the handle of the ratchet (like a torsion bar motion), I was able to put more pressure on the 11/16" socket which sent the push nut over the post enough to grab hold.

The motion of opening and closing the hood may work the push nut off again. Time will tell. I don't have too much faith it will stay put.

 

[65 Dartman]

I’ve got a similar problem with the hinges on my wagon so I pull the fenders off and drill a hole for a cotter pin

 

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The trunk lock was all mangled up and not serviceable (center in photo-spring removed). It has the long actuating lever hinged on a pin/rivet. Not the easiest thing to remove or reuse. The replacement/reproduction lock did not have the holes drilled for the rivet anyway. Comparing the old/new lock to one I pulled from my '65 Signet convertible (bottom in photo), I noticed that on the ragtop the lever is not held in by a pin but the spring actually holds it in place. That gave me the idea to fabricate another lever patterned after the convertible lock, just make it longer to fit the Barracuda (top in photo). We made it too long (on purpose), now it just needs trimming and we will be good to go (second photo).

 

[Demonracer]

Get a center punch & mark where you will need it to keep the washer on, peel the push washer off & drill it for a cotter pin.

 

[dibbons]

I'll do that next time the fender is removed.

 

[Demonracer]

Good idea Ody.

 

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Update: Enough fooling around, it's about time to install some of these cleaned up parts. Rear axle rubber bumpers stops and the transmission tunnel rubber bumper were surprisingly in excellent condition after clean-up. I even sprayed 'em with silicone to encourage them to last another 50 years.

 

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Update: Cleaned up the shocks (they were rubbing on the TTI exhaust) and painted them. Just coincidentally, the recent RustOleum "Colonial Red" I picked up at the local ACE Hardware store almost matched the red of the rear shocks exactly as they came when new. The shocks only have a few thousand miles use, so they are being re-installed (Gabriel numbers stamped on shocks: #739090 front/#733534 rear).

 

[mopowers]

What's the purpose of the bumper above the transmission tailshaft? I never got that.

 

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I think the trans bumper in post #163 is more above the area of the transmission case than the tail shaft (where the 907 may contact the tunnel under certain conditions).

 

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Update: Installed the shocks today with a touch of anti-seize on threads and torqued to factory specs. Greased the front suspension/steering components (I know the front end needs attention but this will hold us over). Found the inside of the two rallye wheels in storage that I installed on the front spindles today had sprouted a little surface rust coming through the gray RustOleum primer. I applied one coat of a brush-on rust reformer over the entire inside rim surface. On the painted outside, I cleaned off the spider webs with diluted Simple Green and applied a coat of Meguiars cleaner wax. Front tires are Guardsman Plus 185/75R14. Cleaned the brake dust off the rear 10" drums.

Double-checked the ring/pinion ratio: 25 driveshaft revolutions/17 axle revolutions X 2 = 2.93 to 1 (non sure-grip).

 

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Update: Air Exhaust Flaps are still nice and supple. However, when I applied a liberal spray of silicone and set them in the sun to dry, they began to get wavy on me. They needed a week of therapy underneath the weight of a cinder block to flatten them back out again.

 

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Update: De-rusted and painted some misc parts. Used RustOleum "Bright Reflective Finish" for the inside of the dome light metal housings. After detergent washing, various stages of Evaporust, Naval Jelly (photo #1), wire wheels (photo #2), RustOleum clean metal primer (white), and white RustOleum top coat (photo #3).

 

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Update: Thermo-Tec

 

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Update: Replaced the factory carton-like "pad" under the roof cross-brace with some foam I had on hand. Had to do it twice, the first time the two old staple heads seemed to stop my progress and I had to end up pulling them out of there. (last photo the foam is only 1/2 way inserted).

 

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Update: Used 3M 8308 heavy bodied two-component epoxy as a seam sealer for interior firewall and along the inside of doors.

 

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Update: Used a one component urethane windshield sealer for under-hood and interior seam sealing (except firewall as mentioned above).

 

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Update: There was one area (about 6 inch ribbon) where I could not reach to apply the seam sealer which is in the rearmost corner of the wheel well (the bottom left corner in the photo). I am thinking about spraying/squirting some rattle-can undercoating in there. (But somehow I was diligent enough to get in there far enough to remove the old factory applied stuff in the same spot)

 

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Update: I was able to seal the small strip mentioned in post #174 by using a long flat-bladed screwdriver as a "spatula" and smoothing the urethane with the fingers of my gloved hand (location is that dark square hole in center of photo).